Oct 7 attack exposed Israel’s weaknesses’ Hezbollah chief says in first public statement
03 Nov 2023
Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader’ Hassan Nasrallah’ recently ended a period of silence by addressing the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel. He squarely blamed the United States for the war in Gaza and referred to Israel as a mere tool in this conflict.
In his televised speech’ Nasrallah emphasized the Palestinian ownership of the Al-Aqsa Storm battle’ highlighting that the decision to launch the operation was exclusively made by Palestinians and kept secret from other parties.
(AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)
Lebanon’s Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Friday broke weeks of silence since war broke out between Hamas and Israel’ accusing the US of being entirely responsible for the war in Gaza and calling Israel merely ‘an executive tool’.
In a televised speech’ the Hezbollah chief said that the Al-Aqsa Storm battle has extended to more than one front. This decision to launch the operation was 100% Palestinian’ its owners hid it from everyone’ he added.
Nasrallah expressed gratitude for the involvement of Iraqi and Yemeni forces in the battle’ emphasizing its Palestinian nature. He stressed that this conflict was not tied to regional issues but was solely for the Palestinian cause.
The Hezbollah leader pointed out that the October 7 attack had exposed Israel’s vulnerabilities and created significant challenges for the Israeli government’ which he described as extremist and foolish.
He portrayed the ongoing conflict as a battle of principles encompassing humanity’ ethics’ and religion. Nasrallah emphasized the importance of unwavering commitment to the Palestinian cause and suggested that the real decision-makers in the resistance factions are its leaders’ not external influences.
He criticized Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip’ particularly its targeting of children and women’ characterizing Israel as weak and incapable of achieving its goals in the current situation.
Nasrallah considered the Al-Aqsa Storm as a well-timed and courageous move by Palestinian groups and described it as a decisive battle requiring shared responsibility. He outlined two primary goals: ending the war in Gaza and ensuring Hamas’s victory.
In a related development’ Israeli forces conducted raids in the West Bank’ resulting in the deaths of seven Palestinians. The Israeli military claimed these operations were aimed at countering Hamas across the West Bank’ with specific incidents in Jenin’ Nablus’ Hebron’ and other areas. The situation in the West Bank has escalated in parallel with the Gaza conflict’ leading to further casualties and tensions.
Israeli forces on Friday killed seven Palestinians in raids across the West Bank’ the Palestinian health ministry said’ as violence surges in the occupied territory in tandem with the Gaza war.
It said three men aged between 17 and 26 were killed in the northern city of Jenin’ a stronghold of Palestinian armed groups and the target of frequent military incursions.
According to Palestinian news agency Wafa’ two of them died when a drone strike hit a house in the city’s refugee camp.
The Israeli army on Friday said its forces were “operating against Hamas” across the West Bank’ with operations in Jenin and the northern city of Nablus.
In the southern city of Hebron’ two more Palestinians aged 33 and 36 were killed during a military raid on the Fawwar refugee camp’ the ministry and Wafa said.
The army said troops had “responded with fire” when Palestinians hurled Molotov cocktails and rocks at them as they seized “weapons manufacturing” equipment.
A sixth Palestinian’ aged 29’ died during an Israeli arrest operation in the Qalandiya refugee camp between Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah’ the ministry said.
In the early afternoon’ the ministry said a 33-year-old Palestinian man was “killed by (Israeli) occupation bullets” in Budrus’ a village west of Ramallah’ the seat of the Palestinian Authority
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